I am a millennial myself. I am not affiliated with any political party. I am writing this article from a third-person view of what I think, in my own personal limited opinion, is happening in front of me.
Social Issues That The Church Ignores
Millennials are Gen Y, or Millennials were born between 1981 and 1994/6. They are currently between 24-39 years old. There are 72 million of them who are grown-ups now. They are “adulting” every day. But Millenials are also the generation that experienced some “difficult to process” historic events. There are the biggest milestones of the Millenial generation (so far) :
- Girl Power Movement – learned to value females more than ever
- TV talk shows – millennials learned to analyze and discuss difficult things
- School Shootings & Bombings – they were exposed to violence at a young age
- Diversity – became normalized to them
- Busy planned lives – were taught that accomplishment = success
- Environmental Impact – Millenials recycle and reject plans to further harm the environment
- Rise of social media – created interconnectedness of the world. This meant more exposure to truth and “behind the scenes” interest. And then millennials realized it didn’t correlate with what leaders or media told them.
- 9/11 & Terrorism – taught them maybe we aren’t the greatest and safest country.
- The market crash of 2008 – millennials realized that the future is not guaranteed. They might not be able to afford that house. 401Ks don’t mean you can retire. There is no value in being faithful to a company.
- Gay Marriage legalized – millennials questioned societal sexual norms
- COV!D – 19 – pandemics are unifying, infection control measures were ingrained.
- Black Lives Matter – previous generations played a part in systemic oppression.
- The Trump Presidency & the close connection with the church – blurring the lines between politics and religion. Forced millennials to pick a side.
Because of the historic events and how every group reacted to them, millennials formed opinions on what group we wanted to identify with. All these issues contribute to the current millennial mindset. It is why they travel more, need details of everything and everyone, and invented cancel culture.
Millennials crave authenticity. Their brains have evolved to install BS detectors. What we thought was unshakable was actually totally fake.
So millennials don’t trust very easily. They definitely don’t trust advertising and in turn, they’ve destroyed many previous brands like Toys R Us, Kraft Mac n Cheese, Diet Soda sales. Truth shook consumer loyalty and changed their values.
And now, the older generation HATES them for it.
Millennials are consistently made fun of, disregarded – and now disconnected. Because of the unprecedented rise in the cost of living and debt burden – millennials have lost the civic community.
Millennials are self-sufficient and working to survive and pay off debt. (School loans, healthcare, food prices, housing). Because of this, they live more isolated than other generations before.
How Millenials Don’t Fit Into Modern Evengelicalism
One of the best places for the community used to be the church. But now it’s become a place full of hate and judgment. The church is also full of the older generations that have rejected millennials. Why would Millenials want to walk through that door?
Millennials read books like Jesus & John Wave and realize that modern-day evangelism is a warped cult that weaponizes the bible to control its members.
“Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism, or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.”… the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today―patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community.”
Millennials are keenly aware of these viewpoints. They notice that the church pushes agendas based on the interpretation of select verses to create a cookie-cutter idea of what a Christian should look and act like. The ideas are inherently sexist, violent, and controlling.
In America, thanks to big influencers like Billy Graham and Abraham Vereide – the Church teaches its members (and leaders) to look and act in a specific way. Churches are the biggest culprits of what millennials are rejecting and reevaluating.
How 2020 Jumpstarted a New Mass Exodus of Millenials from the Church
The events of 2020 have kickstarted a mass exodus of millennials from the church. And I totally get it. I personally blame The Fellowship, Donald Trump, the Republican party, and all evangelical leaders who did not speak up when they had the opportunity.
The Bible teaches about humbleness, loving your neighbor, and helping those in need:
- Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” - Romans 12:18
“As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone.” - Matthew 5:42
“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” - Romans 12:13
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” - Matthew 25:44 – 45
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'”
Self-proclaimed Christian President, Donald Trump publicly demonized & insulted immigrants from Central America. When these immigrants were only seeking help, opportunity, food, and a safe place to live.
He created “repeatable chants” like a satanic guru pushing hateful mantras:
“Build the Wall” to keep brown immigrants from coming to America.
“Send Her Back” to the Somolian born congresswoman.
“Fire Fauci” because the top immunologist in the world clashed with Trump on the seriousness of COVID19.
“Lock Her Up” when he accused his opponent or anyone who opposed him.
“All Lives Matter” in response to people of color asking to not be murdered
“White Power” is a popular chant from Trump’s white nationalist, neo-Naz supporters who believe non-white humans are inferior. Trump even retweeted a video of a trump fan yelling “white power”.
The troubling and problematic support of Trump by the church is one of the greatest reasons millennials are leaving Christianity in 2020.
Millennials see logic and science proclaiming the following:
- Women are equal to men and should be paid the same and respected for their human worth.
- Black lives matter and there is still systemic oppression in our modern society.
- The global environmental climate is changing and we are part of the destruction.
- COVID 19 is a novel virus that we should be cautious of and follow the guidelines given by the world’s top immunologists and infectious disease experts.
- Gun Violence is a huge embarrassing problem in this country and we need gun law reform to protect us.
- All humans are created by God. Everyone deserves the same opportunities. Everyone belongs.
- Racism and Intolerance must be irradiated if we are to maintain peaceful societies in the future.
These 7 important issues facing millennials right now seem logical to agree with. They all seem sensible and baffling if you disagree. Right?
But Donald Trump and his followers DO disagree! And with a prideful unapologetic egotistical mania – Trump supports the opposite. Because this proud bigot is supported by the church, it creates a huge disconnect for its younger members.
Trump pepper sprayed peaceful protectors for race equality so that he can take a photo in front of a church, in a suit, holding a bible upside-down. When a millennial sees this and sees the first-person videos shared online, it makes millennials and want to tear down the entire patriarchy that is our government and our church.
Because the lines have completely blurred, especially in 2020, there is no separation of church and state. There is no difference of opinions within each group. You are either liberal or you are a God-fearing, white, bible thumping racist, gun carrying, truck driving, blind supporter of the republican party.
Millennials just don’t see themselves as the latter. In fact, even if they grew up being fed Christianity, they are now leaning towards the left liberal groups. Because they see the logic, love, tolerance, reason, science, equality, and less violence.
When they look back on their way out the door, they see an ambivalence towards all the issues that matter to them.
They see a pseudo-religious country club called “the evangelical church”. They see the church with 51% divorce rates, higher child sex abuse cases, white nationalist values, high-level Christian missionaries who were actually pedoph!les, higher rates of suicide within religion, our favorite Christian entertainers leading secret evil lives…
And they keep
on
walking.
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